Grand Rapids voters continue income tax for sidewalks and roads

Voters in Grand Rapids approved measures to require the city to pay for sidewalk repairs, and to continue to collect money for the city to pay for those repairs.

The two proposals before Grand Rapids voters were connected.

One continues a city income tax to pay for street and sidewalk repairs. The other relieves property owners from the financial responsibility of fixing sidewalks if the income tax extension passed. Instead, the city will be on the hook for those bills.

Turnout was low, but both proposals passed.

Critics said the money spent on the election would have been better spent fixing pot holes.

The conservative anti-tax group Americans for Prosperity helped finance the vote no campaign, but voters supported both proposals by a roughly 2-to-1 margin.